Summer road trip

[rowingdude]

Hey all, I have a road trip this summer to Boston, it's about a 800 mile trip (round trip).... I'll be staying in hotels, so I just have to pack clothes and entertainment. So..

For those of you who sport-tour, what should I be looking to get? Will a couple more teeth make any difference for highway MPGs? Are there decent saddle bags I can use to carry something like a laptop?

[Bondy]

I'd keep stuff like laptops in a tankbag, there slightly more secure and easier to carry around so your not tempted to just leave it on the bike while you pop into the shops.
Not sure about brands of kit as i have little experience in this area.

[VTRgirl]

Can you get MotoDry or DriRider over there? Very similar stuff.

I have a matching DriRider tank bag & a huge bag that ocky straps (bungee cords) to the pillion seat. No need for a disfiguring rack on my beautiful Storm & I can go away for a few weeks & carry everything I need! The bag can't be swiped off the back seat (unless someone slashes the ockies), so if you're worried about security, a small padlock to join the two zips is the go.

If that's enough space for a chick's luggage for a few weeks, it should last a guy about a year!

[rowingdude]

Thanks a lot mates. I will surely look into a tank bag.

Has anyone on here ever used a camelback or similar hydration system while riding? Also.. what's the best place to put a 12 volt power lead? I plan on putting one on for my MP3 player and/or gps

[Bondy]

The camel backs are defo worth the money, and you can get some decent size space in the rucksack bit.

[firestorm996]

Hey all, I have a road trip this summer to Boston, it's about a 800 mile trip (round trip).... I'll be staying in hotels, so I just have to pack clothes and entertainment. So..

For those of you who sport-tour, what should I be looking to get? Will a couple more teeth make any difference for highway MPGs? Are there decent saddle bags I can use to carry something like a laptop?

How many days are you planning on taking to do 800 miles? You can do that in a day if you get the hammer down a little ;)

I'm not a fan of tankbags, being as you have to keep removing them every time you fuel up, and they tend to get in the way generally. I prefer a tailpack these days but you would struggle to get a laptop in one. I had a set of oxford panniers a few years back which were huge and used to carry my laptop in them, but I had high-level Migs and the panniers would rest nicely against them. On low-level pipes I think they would move around a bit too much.

I would say limit the amount of stuff you take (especially gadgets waiting to get broken/stolen) and just enjoy the ride. If you're only going for a few days then a tailpack and tankbag should be enough.

[Monkey!]

Yes, I have been a rower for over 15 years. Single sculling mainly but if you tell most people you scull they look at you kind of odd......

Just got back from a training session- 60 minutes rate 20 then 2 sets of 16 minute pyramids 2 minutes each 24,26,28,30,28,26,24,22

[rowingdude]

It'll be a week total, 2 days out.. 2 days of fun.. and a day and a half getting back. My avg cruise speed will probably be 80mph .. or slightly more .. I can't afford the tickets though.

Hmm, any other advice? I just realized that this bike gets good fuel econ with not-so-aggressive (read: boring) riding.

Hmm.....still 400 miles in a day is quite a lot.... You'll be looking for fuel after 90 miles or thereabouts regardless of how you ride it. At a steady 75-80mph I used to get about 105-110 miles to reserve.

Maybe do a few longish rides beforehand to get your butt used to the seat a bit! Aside from that you should be fine. The VTR makes a good relaxed tourer and eats up big distances quite well. A double-bubble screen helps though. What I said about the gadgets, bear in mind that if you take anything valuable you'll probably want to remove it or the luggage containing it from the bike each time you stop and need the lav. I use a small padlock on my soft luggage and just leave it on the bike.

Weird, when I do long trips at a 75-80mph cruise (tucked) I can barely touch 150/tank (3.5 gallon tank) through reserve. Maybe I am doing something wrong or my thing isn't calibrated right, but the fuel light turns on at 'round 140 miles when I REALLY drive it carefully (no stunts, racing, etc).. otherwise I am looking for fuel at around the 130 mile mark..

@Monkey - Yeah, I know what you mean about people looking at you weird. I am getting back into pyramids, I had a broken bone which prohibited me from rowing for 6 weeks! Major rubbish! Well, It's nice to meet a fellow rower, it's too bad it isn't a more common sport, since everybody knows that athletes row ... everybody else just plays games :-D

Well, take care mates.. thanks for the advice so far! I am looking for a tail bag now.